The present invention relates to vehicles for hauling materials such as garbage trucks. In particular, the present invention relates to a universal mounting system which permits the efficient mounting of a material container such as a refuse body onto a range of truck chassis having different characteristics such as frame rail spacing.
Many material handling containers which are mounted on heavy trucks require a sub frame which is attached to the frame rails of the truck chassis. For example, the refuse bodies for garbage trucks and waste hauling trucks are mounted upon a sub frame which is attached to the frame rails of the associated truck. Similarly, dump truck boxes may include sub frames mounted to the frame rails of the truck to support the dump box. Oftentimes, the sub frame is utilized to provide an appropriate support for the associated material body. This support serves to prevent deformation and damage to the body when the vehicle chassis deforms (e.g. twisting of the frame rails relative to each other) during vehicle operation. The sub frame can also be mounted on the vehicle frame to help reduce frame deformation. In many cases, truck manufacturers are reluctant to allow point loads onto the chassis, especially severe point loads along the rear parts of the frame rails because of the potential for damage. Similarly, front mounts can cause severe bending loads over the length of the chassis.
Referring to the truck chassis, in many commercial transactions for waste hauling trucks, the manufacturers of material handling containers are not the manufacturers of the truck chassis. For example, many municipalities waste management companies dictate the chassis manufacturer of the truck chassis to be used with a particular container or refuse body. Examples of truck chassis manufacturers include DAF, IVECO, Volvo, Scania, Mercedes-Benz, Dennis Eagle Ltd., MAN, Renault, and Seddon Atkinson. A major problem encountered by container and waste body manufacturers is the differences in the frames of the truck chassis sold by various suppliers. More specifically, the distance between chassis frame rails, the rigidity of the frames and the shape of the frame rails varies between supplier. As a result, the manufacturers of bodies are required to manufacture a different sub frame for every different chassis demanded by its material container customers.
To compound these problems, container load or weight monitoring is becoming a requirement for waste hauling trucks. In particular, the weight and change in weight of the container is monitored by locating electronic load cells between the waste body and the sub frame. With this arrangement, the load cells are in a position to generate signals representative of the weight of the waste body and contents on demand. However, the interpositioning of load cells between the sub frame and bodies increases the height of the body which can result in a number of disadvantages. For example, the increased height may increase the access height for loading and unloading the body. In addition, the increased height often raises the center of gravity of the overall vehicle which can reduce the overall stability of the vehicle. Another problem is that the increased height may result in driving limitations in countries and other locations that impose height restrictions for certain vehicles. Further, an increased height can sometimes lead to problems in actually lifting a container.
In view of these problems, it would be desirable to provide a sub frame where all or substantially all of the components thereof could be universally used with a broad range of different truck chassis. Additionally, it would be desirable to provide an arrangement which permits the use of load cells without increasing the height of the associated material container the full height of the load cell.
It would be advantageous to provide a system or the like of a type disclosed in the present application that provides any one or more of these or other advantageous features. The present invention further relates to various features and combinations of features shown and described in the disclosed embodiments. Other ways in which the objects and features of the disclosed embodiments are accomplished will be described in the following specification or will become apparent to those skilled in the art after they have read this specification. Such other ways are deemed to fall within the scope of the disclosed embodiments if they fall within the scope of the claims which follow.